Her Tasty Life

With the Holidays just around the corner (but seriously how did that happen?), I’ve already started brainstorming ideas for my parties, girl’s nights and get togethers. ‘Tis the season to soiree, and I never miss a good party!

Getting friends and family together always calls for something a little special, and I love to get my guests into the spirit by greeting them with a signature cocktail upon arrival. I try to create something to either evoke the season, pair well with the bites, or summon a special theme. The ‘welcome cocktail’ really sets the tone for the evening, and using unique flavor combos that make your guests say, “yum, what’s in that?” is a great way to kick off the evening and spark conversation.

I recently partnered with Tropicana to create my own party-ready #MixedWithTrop cocktail with their new Watermelon drink and I couldn’t wait to get to work. Not only do I love the fresh, bright, sweet flavor of watermelon, but I was excited at the challenge of making it into a cocktail that was something more classic than cloying.

I’m not a huge sweet cocktail fan, so by making my own riff on a citrusy gin sour by using lemon, gin, fresh herbs, simple syrup, and the Tropicana Watermelon, I created something that I think you’ll really love.

This cocktail is super simple and all comes together in a standard shaker with a little bit of ice. Playing bartender at home and shaking up a cocktail gets everybody in the party mood. I like to pre-batch my ingredients and then make the drinks as the guests trickle in.

My husband is a reformed mixologist (wink, he’s in real estate now), but because of that we have a lot of bartender’s tools around the house. Not to worry! If you don’t have a jigger, a cocktail strainer, and the like, you can improvise with your standard measuring tools and a sieve. You’ll just need to make sure you’ve got something that can measure in ounces.

So who’s ready to party? Let’s get to makin’ some drinks!

TROPICANA WATERMELON GIN SOUR
makes one cocktail

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ounces Nolet’s Gin (or non-juniper style gin)
• 1 ½ ounces Tropicana Watermelon
• 1 ounce fresh lemon juice
• ½ ounce simple syrup
• 3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
• 1 fresh sprig of rosemary, and an extra sprig for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill shaker halfway with ice
2. Pour in gin, Tropicana Watermelon juice, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, bitters and rosemary sprig
3. Shake vigorously for approximately 15-30 seconds
4. Pour through a cocktail strainer or sieve into a coupe glass
5. Garnish with rosemary
6. Serve immediately while cold

I partnered with my friends at Megan Media and Tropicana for this post. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.